Text Gadget

Frequently Asked Questions

Haven't there been other films where local people are given cameras? What makes this project different?

What sets This Is Us apart from other "just-give-locals-the-camera-and-collect-footage" documentaries is that this film empowers people to tell their own stores from script to screen. Whereas other documentary films have given cameras to local people before, This Is Usutilizes a carefully developed process specifically designed to empower others to poignantly express messages of their choosing.
We do not simply collect footage from cameras that we hand out, only to edit it into a story later--we work closely with people we give our cameras to, enabling them to craft their own stories so that they not only do the filming but are also prepared to write and narrate.

How was this storytelling process work?

The fundamental approach was: "how can we
balance between giving the local students the most
creative control of their stories possible while still producing high-quality and focused short films, moving forward at an acceptable pace, and working within our budget?"

The answer was to carefully form an organized system whereby the students would: 1) be highly focused and prepared before they even begin recording; 2) continually receive one-on-one feedback throughout the filming process; 3) efficiently record their narrations; and 4) continue to meet one-on-one with the director during editing.

Using
these fundamental goals as guidelines, we worked with local teachers to
develop a process that enabled the students to write, film, and narrate
their stories in a matter of weeks. The process focuses heavily on class
discussion at first, then moves into a daily routine of continual
one-on-one feedback with the students as they refine their narrations
and capture footage. Close discussion and feedback with students
continues through the editing process as the editor puts together rough cuts. The
work culminates in a final screening party for the students and
community.

What is the director's role in a documentary like this?

Briefly, the director's role in a project like
this is the same as any project: to keep everyone on track and working
towards the same final goal. It is important that each student fully
understands the goals of the project and that the students work as a
group to pick a variety of topics that will mesh well together. It's the
directors job to get each student excited to make his or her film and
to make sure that each kid knows how the individual pieces will fit in
with the whole. Tangentially, the students need to be taught how to
properly use the cameras and how to effectively combine multiple
images with a narration to tell a story. Once shooting begins the
director functions as a guide, watching
what each student filmed the day before and then encouraging him or her
one way
or another. The director is also responsible for editing the students' narration with their video clips to form the final stories.

Why don't the students edit their own films?

To answer this, we'll refer back to the original
goal of the project: to enable storytelling. Working in an area without
electricity--and on a project operating with a limited budget--it is not
feasible to provide editing computers for the kids, teach them the
programs, and troubleshoot for days on end as they learn to edit. The
goal is to get their stories made, not to train them as professional
filmmakers. Remember: the student writes and records the script
(narration) that ultimately determines the shape of the final
story--which is built completely from footage that they shot.

Interested in more? Learn about the narrative film inspired by these stories.